Solberg steps down as Sweden men's national team coach after four years

Four years after he assumed the coaching position of the Sweden men’s senior national team, Glenn Solberg announced his departure from the team, in an official statement released by the Swedish Handball Federation (SHF).

Solberg, who was the 12th coach in the history of the Sweden’s national team, took over from Kristjan Andersson in 2020, after the EHF EURO, with the first major event in this position being the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, where Sweden finished on the second place, securing the silver medal.

A former player for Nordhorn, Barcelona, SG Flensburg-Handewitt and Norwegian side Drammen, Solberg featured for Norway men’s senior national team 122 times and scored 250 goals, before retiring from his playing career in 2010.

Between 2014 and 2016, Solberg was the assistant coach of the Norway men’s national team, moving on to St. Hallvard HK between 2015 and 2019. One year later, he assumed the coaching position of the Sweden men’s senior national team, leading the Scandinavian side in six major international competitions.

“It is very demanding to be the national team captain. It has been five intense years with six championships, many days away at national team meetings and I have also spent many hours traveling around and meeting the players in their home environments. It has been exciting and incredibly rewarding, but now I need a break to see what I want to do in the future,” said Solberg, according to the official Swedish Handball Federation (SHF).

After securing the silver medal at the 2021 IHF Men’s World Championship, Solberg led Sweden to the title at the EHF EURO 2022, as well as the 4th place at the 2023 IHF Men’s World Championship and the bronze medal at the EHF EURO 2024.

The last major international competition for Solberg was the men’s Paris 2024 Olympic Games, where Sweden finished seventh, after conceding a dramatic 31:32 loss against Denmark in the quarter-finals.

“I am mainly happy to have been able to work with such a fantastic group of players, and by that I mean both as handball players and as people, and to have been able to make this journey with them. I am also proud to have been involved in developing Swedish handball, and that I have done so with value-driven and inclusive leadership. I am also happy about the development that has taken place regarding physical education, gym and training alongside the handball court,” added Solberg.

A new coach has not been named, with Sweden announcing they are working to find a replacement for Solberg.